Kyle Kuzma is a name you would definitely find on the list of highly trolled NBA athletes. No matter what he seems to do, some fans are always put off by him. This time again, a noble image was maligned by X users who did not see the need for Kuzma’s mural to be put on a court in the Philippines.
It all started when a video of a basketball court in the Philippines went viral. It showed a massive Kuzma mural painted right across the court, celebrating his impact and influence on the Filipino community.
Kyle Kuzma court mural in the Philippines 🔥
(h/t @ClutchPoints)
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 21, 2025
But things did not sit well with users on X. They posted several trolling comments on the video.
“Embarrassing”
“Damn, I didn’t know the Philippines were that down bad.”
“Imagine having a court mural for Kyle Kuzma.”
“So we’re just giving anyone a mural now. Having Kuzma on the court is a bad omen, to be honest, just means missing shots the way he does.”
“Won’t be surprised if Patrick Beverley ends up getting a mural at this point.”
“I got love for the Philippines, but KYLE KUZMA?”
“Does every NBA player get his own court in the Philippines?”
The Milwaukee Bucks player has been actively working on improving the conditions for basketball players in the Philippines, where the game is taken very seriously. He has been there twice and was met with an exceptional reception on both occasions.
Filipino fans have dubbed his visits as KuzManila I and KuzManila II. Both times, Kuzma has seemingly gotten very close to the basketball community there.
“I didn’t expect that many people, but I expected it to be pretty crazy,” the former Lakers athlete said after his first visit.
During that time, Kuzma organized a basketball clinic for 80 young athletes from the Asian nation and gave a talk at the Navitas Learning Haus in Makati.
On his second visit, he inaugurated the mural at Barangay 901 basketball court in Sta. Ana, Manila. The same court mural that is now being trolled by fans.
All of these efforts by the athlete have still not stopped X users from giving him a hard time. Yes, he has struggled on the court and not lived up to the hype around him from the time he was drafted, but he’s also shown resilience and developed into a much more mature player.
Primarily a scorer, he was traded away from the Lakers after he averaged just 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in the 2020-21 season. He peaked with the Wizards, becoming a high-usage player for them and averaging 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
He increased his average points to 21.2 and then next season to 22.1 points. Yet, his performance dipped, and last year, mid-season, he was traded away to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite showing a lot of potential with the Wizards, he’s back to being a role player with the Bucks, averaging 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Especially in the playoffs, he did not perform at a satisfactory level, averaging just 5.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, even after averaging over 20 minutes of playing time.
He’s had ups and downs in his career, just like most athletes. But given the amount of opportunity and situations he’s gotten where he could’ve stepped up into a much bigger role and helped change the outcome of the game, he has struggled to deliver in such situations.
This could account for a chunk of the criticism he gets. But this dedication of love from the fans in the Philippines goes beyond what happens on the court. From the reception he gets there and the love poured in by the basketball community there, it looks like he’s actually been able to form a bond with one of the most unique basketball markets in the world.
